Sept. 11, 2012. The Town of Boone is proud to continue the 2012 Concerts at the Jones House series with an evening of blues, featuring the King Bees Duo and Rhonda Gouge on Friday, Sept. 14, starting at 5 p.m.

The King Bees Duo will begin the evening at 5 p.m., featuring Rob “Hound Dog” Baskerville and Penny “Queen Bee” Zamagni, the nucleus of the King Bees Blues Band, which has been performing since 1987.

“These guys are really the heart and soul of the blues in the high country,” says concerts organizer, Mark Freed. “Not only have they been performing the blues in the mountains for 25 years, they also have recorded and promoted most of the region’s older blues musicians.”

Baskerville and Zamagni have also hosted the annual New River Blues Festival, which recently celebrated 10 years.

“I am pretty sure Rob has also been the only concert performer at the Jones House to play the lamppost,” Freed adds, referring to Baskerville’s use of the post as a slide for his wireless electric guitar.

Rhonda Gouge will follow the King Bees Duo, bringing the acoustic side of the blues, in addition to other traditional styles. Gouge hails from Mitchell County, where she has been a full-time music teacher and member of the local traditional music community. A multi-instrumentalist, Gouge primarily performs on guitar, which she has been playing since a young age. Rhonda plays bluegrass, gospel, and folk music on guitar, mandolin, banjo, bass, and fiddle, and she is also a fan of the blues.

“I remember being just blown away the first time I heard Rhonda playing finger-style country blues and singing Mississippi John Hurt songs,” Freed says. “She is just so musical on every level.”

Concerts at the Jones House take place in downtown Boone at 604 W. King St. every Friday from June through September. The free concert starts at 5 p.m., and patrons are encouraged to bring a chair or blanket to sit in the lawn. The 2012 Concert series is sponsored by MPrints, Stickboy Bread/Melanie’s, Footsloggers, Mast General Store, and the Downtown Boone Development Association.

For a complete schedule, visit www.boone-nc.org or call 262-4576 for more information.